Letters

WHAT’S IN THE BOX, BRAAAAAD?

While I wholeheartedly agree with Jorge Castillo’s call on “best ending” [“The Bloody Envelope, Please! A top 10 list of terrific terror moments”, Oct. 17-30], there was absolutely no reason for him to reveal precisely what was great about the ending to Seven. That’s what’s known in the popular vernacular as a “spoiler” — meaning “to spoil the ending” — and a simple editing of the parenthesized copy could have avoided it without lessening the impact of the review/accolade.

I think Fight Club, Sixth Sense, and The Empire Strikes Back are all great movies, but you can appreciate why people generally don’t discuss plot details without first offering a respectful “spoiler alert”.

Now, thanks to Jorge’s recklessness, your non-Seven-viewing readership will be deprived of the “best ending” he so astutely offered. Sinful.

P.S. It seems strange that I’d send feedback on an “issue” like this when you’ve published great articles on radioactive fish and International Criminal Court condemnation from the African Union, but this seemed more constructive. Keep up the great work.

Jason Hanson, Saskatoon

EDITOR’S NOTE: Here I was, all excited about running a Saskatoon letter to the editor on an article our two newspapers shared, but it turns out Prairie Dog’s considerate editor (ahem) DID excise the (unnecessary) spoiler — unlike Planet S (booooo!). So if you’re reading this, Jason, you’re welcome. /Stephen Whitworth

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SNAKES AND SPIDERS AREN’T ENOUGH

Greg Beatty’s “Top 6 Sinister Species” [Oct. 17-30] neglected to mention the cyanobacteria — formerly known as blue-green algae — that can proliferate during the summer months in temperate surface waters. Several species can produce bloom conditions and may have toxic strains that can cause sickness and even death!

Joyce Rosenfeld, Regina

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SHOW ME ON THE DOLLY WHERE THE BAD NEWSPAPER HURT YOUR FEELINGS Send letters by e-mail to [email protected] or snail mail to #201-1836 Scarth St., Regina, Saskatchewan, S4P 2G3. Letters will be edited for grammar, spelling, style and length (300 words maximum). Please include your full name, city of residence and a daytime phone number. This page isn’t an open forum — we only print signed letters about Prairie Dog articles and other editorial content (if you have an enlightening anonymous rant, send it to Queen City Confidential). Letters sent to Prairie Dog may also be printed in Planet S, our sister publication in Saskatoon. Next letters deadline is Wednesday, Nov. 6.

5 thoughts on “Letters”

OH, COME ON!!! SEVEN CAME OUT 18 YEARS AGO!!! Under the same principle, next time I write about The Empire Strikes Back I’ll have to say “(spoiler alert) Rhett Butler leaves Scarlett O’Hara and doesn’t give a damn”!

The ending of Seven entered the realm of pop culture long time ago, it has been spoofed, refereed to and openly discussed numerous times. I take issue with the overabundance of “spoiler” warnings, particularly films over a decade old and massively well known. If you haven’t seen Seven yet or don’t know about it, obviously something as prosaic as an spoiler shouldn’t be matter of concern.